Cupid Rides A Winged Horse
by Lone-ranger1
Summary: A rework of my Valentine's day fic featuring John and Sam. Alot more substance this time as well as more laughs. I totally prefer this version to the old one. If you doubt Sam and John, read and you'll see where i'm coming from.


_**Cupid Rides A Winged Horse**_

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Setting:** Atlantis

**Main Characters**: John Sheppard, Samantha Carter

**Other Characters:** Random Atlantis folk.

**Timeframe:** Beats me, I guess Season 4 sometime.

**Type of Story: **Humour, Romance

**Synopsis:** Sam is busy as hell with new paperwork, and with Valentine's Day approaching, Rodney and Co. set up a mini carnival for the city. John decides to ask her to it and loads of hilarity ensues.

**Author's notes:** This is a rework of another version of the same story I wrote for Valentines day. I like this one better as it actually starts and ENDS. It's alot funnier and has much more buildup than the original. I'd _cream_ myself if this got nominated for one of those SGA ship awards! *hint hint*

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Sam sighed and blinked hard; yet another mission report that listed a planet as uninhabited or strategically useless. She pressed her palms against her eyes and wished it all away with a dejected groan.

The incessant beeping of her tablet dashed her hopes and dreams; with a depressed sigh, she got back to work. It was getting hard enough to supervise all the goings on in the city, but having to actually make reports on it all for the IOA on a monthly basis was getting mindnumbing.

She had just gotten the reply from the IOA regarding her last report; she had the nagging suspicion they waited 2 weeks to reply just to annoy her into making as many corrections and changes they wanted to the city in just the 2 remaining weeks instead of the entire month.

It was almost 1:15pm, well beyond her usual lunch time, she had nearly finished the pot of coffee she'd made in the morning and realised with a sad heart that she was barely done half her work for the day.

All these reports and personnel reviews… it was killing her. The IOA had demanded 6 straight months of these highly detailed reviews so they could judge her command of the base and whether they'd made the right choice or not. She almost wished she hadn't taken the position now 4 months into it. Almost didn't mean she did though, and one of the factors keeping her sane now stood at the door.

She remembered something Jack once told her, that once she was the "man" she couldn't 'stick it' to the man anymore. As strange as it sounded, having to be constantly even tempered and an example to the entire city was harder than her former scientific position.

A knock made her raise her head to the doorway; she raised an eyebrow in curious surprise to her second in command; Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard stood with a sarcastic grin on his face.

"You know Boss… it's healthier to eat 5 or 6 meals a day instead of one giant meal at the end of the day."

Sam smirked, and huffed in amusement. John was usually very lateral in his speech and she was always curious to what point he'd end up making.

"Oh really? Does that mean you've actually got the time to do that?"

John strolled in with an exaggerated motion; he was carrying a platter that looked like it hid some food underneath a metal cover.

"I make the time, why… it'd be the end of western civilization if I miss one while I'm on base!"

Sam leaned back in her chair and chuckled as she watched the Colonel. John used his foot to bring one of the cushioned chairs up to her desk and set the platter down. Her mouth watered with only thinking of the possibility of food inside. She played it cool though and replied feigning irritation, her tongue in her cheek.

"I ask because I'm still waiting on your report for how our new marines from the SGC are doing, I'd hate to find out you've been neglecting your work just to sit back and _digest_."

John smirked, and put a small computer pad that he pulled out of his shirt pocket on the table.

"Good thing I wore this shirt today."

Sam leaned forward, her eyes intent on the platter.

"Am I to assume that's for me?"

John made a sarcastic indignant look.

"Didn't I just say I eat 5 times a day? This is my third."

Sam gave him a cold stare; her eyes said more than her razor wit ever could. John lasted a few seconds as he jokingly put a bib on, then finally cracked and chuckled.

"But… seeing as you haven't had a chance to escape this glass dungeon you call an office, I brought enough for two."

He lifted the platter cover, revealing a pair of chicken parmesan on buns with salad next to them as well as a pair of Jell-O cups. He tossed her a bib as well; Sam mused happily.

"John, I never would have guessed you could be such a sweetheart. Thank you."

John chuckled, and handed her the plate with the sandwich on it.

"Yeah well neither did I. Teyla mentioned seeing you still in here when she was walking around and I figured you'd still be here. I couldn't eat my 5 meals a day with the knowledge you were still stuck here. Oh, McKay wanted this last Jell-O cup but I swiped it before he could get his hands on it."

Sam chuckled and leaned forward to grab her fork.

"Gunning for a promotion?"

John shook his head, smiling.

"And have to actually sit and write? Screw that. Let's eat."

-----------------------------------

Sam lay back on her chair, nursing the last bit of coffee she had brewed, John had his feet up on the small stool in front of him as they digested their lunch. She took advantage of the lull to get a better report of how things were going on the military side of the expedition.

"So how're the new AR teams doing?"

John shrugged.

"Well, Lorne's liking his new Captain, and Major Teldy likes having her own team now."

Sam nodded.

"I'll bet she is. An Air Force sharpshooter, a gun crazy Marine and a bonafide doctor? I can't tell you how many times I wished for a doctor on SG-1."

John chuckled and stretched his arms. Letting a loud and exaggerated yawn out he replied.

"Aren't you technically a doctor?"

Sam scoffed.

"I don't think knowing how a black hole distorts time is going to help me with a bullet wound."

She yawned and stretched her neck, rubbing the sore and tense muscles. Caffeine had long ago lost its effect on her. John tilted his head examining her.

"You work too much you know? Hell _I_ work too much so I can only imagine what it's like for you."

Sam shook her head as she laughed, she leaned her head on her hand against the armrest.

"Why don't you try explaining to the IOA why you requisitioned an extra supply of anti-histamines, filter paper, and almost triple the amount of coffee most bases our size use?"

John began his answer but then stopped and did a slight double take.

"_Triple_?"

She nodded softly, with an air of dejection.

"Triple."

John chuckled and rubbed his temples.

"You think we should start charging Rodney for it?"

Sam got up and stretched her back, ready to get back to work. She moaned slightly, and noted with slight amusement John check her out.

"Don't think I haven't thought of it; it'd certainly cut back on some of this paperwork."

John got up as well, catching the sign that it was his time to leave. He leaned on the side of the wall, his boyish grin serving as a warning to her.

"Well, even the busiest of us has to relax, and on that point, Rodney had some of the civilians set up some recreations for the next scheduled day off next week and I think you'd get a lot out of it if you'd join me."

Sam turned her head to John, curious as to his intentions. She tried to make her voice sound a bit more intimidating than usual.

"Sheppard… did you just… _ask me out_?"

Usually when she asked something so blunt and to the point like this it would intimidate men, it had been her standard defence against the dozens of jarheads and dorky scientists that would hit on her. It had worked well so far, and she was expecting him to act sheepish and explain that it was just a 'friend' thing. Instead he stood his ground and grinned with his typical boyish charm.

"You could call it that, I'm going regardless and I really do think we'd have fun."

She smiled wryly, impressed with his conviction, now it was time for her second layer of defence.

"Aren't you worried that people will start talking?"

John scoffed, as if he were offended that she thought he hadn't thought of it.

"They'll talk regardless; lord knows there's enough topics about me floatin' about out there."

Sam was trying to turn him down as politely as possible, usually after an excuse or two most men caught the hint. John was being annoyingly persistent though.

"What if Keller won't give me the day off?"

John stared at her. He understood the regulations that must be going through her head, but he also knew she was burning out and needed a break.

"Are you kidding? She'd jump at the chance of you taking time off."

She had to admit, his persistence was impressive. Most men would be lying in a shower now sobbing, hoping to clean themselves of the shame.

"I guess… well…."

He didn't avert his gaze, he was waiting for her to either accept, or turn him down. His words had no hesitation whatsoever.

"Every minute you stall is another 90 words on that page."

Sam mulled it over quickly. She figured there wouldn't be much harm as long as they kept things civil. Besides, she did feel like it would be fun.

"Mmmm… Alright, as long as I get the day off we'll go. When is it?"

John had moved over to the doorway with the empty platter, he leaned on the jamb and smirked deviously.

"The 14th, Valentine's day."

Before Sam could say anything in protest, John interrupted her, his hand up silencing her.

"Don't worry! I might win you a teddy bear or something but there's no tunnel of love so I don't think the staff'll make much sport out of us. I'll see you later Carter."

With that, John tossed her something that she quickly caught in mid-air. It was a lollipop in the shape of a heart.

Sam felt like laughing, it had been a while since she'd been on an actual date and even longer since she'd celebrated Valentine's Day. She'd already accepted though and got the feeling that things were not going to end well. She had to have the last word though.

"Thanks a lot Sheppard! Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya!"

Realising that she'd never get her work done if she thought about it, She decided to bury herself in it. She absentmindedly unwrapped the candy and started sucking on it as she worked. If she was going to take a day off she was going to make damn sure all her work was done first.

---------------------------

She couldn't decide what to wear, it wasn't chilly out and it wouldn't be appropriate to go in her BDU's. She wished she could check the Atlantis cameras to see what John was wearing so she could dress accordingly. She finally decided to go casual and went with jeans and a flashy light blue shirt. She let her hair out of her typical ponytail and straightened it in anticipation. Donning a light brown leather jacket she felt like she was back on Earth.

It was only 10am, and John had said he'd pick her up around this time so they could have plenty of time for the games the civilians had set up. A lot of the staff had joined in and volunteers were manning the pavilion they had erected on the East Pier. Even the Daedalus had decided to stop in and many of the crew were milling about, enjoying the shore leave.

The fact that John had asked her to this was driving her insane, over the last week she'd tried to coax the answer from him but got very little out of him other than shrugs or musings of having to be somewhere else. Not willing to ask anyone else and be the start of the rumors, she tried to figure it all out in her head.

Maybe he had a crush on her, maybe he didn't. He was attractive in his way, the stench of confidence surrounded him and secretly she was very impressed with him. Few people she knew were willing, and even less were capable of doing the things he was doing on a regular basis. In many ways, he reminded her of Jack, but younger and… maybe a little smarter.

She couldn't help but notice the similarities, not that she felt any less about Jack. You don't work 10 years with a person and not develop at least platonic feelings for them. She'd buried her feelings for Jack a long time ago and only recently had there been any possible avenue for them to move forward, but 10 years was a long time. Added to her appointment to Atlantis, the opportunity for her and Jack was slim to nil.

Maybe that's why she said yes to John even though it was bending the rules. The last relationship she had had ended badly, and it was because she wasn't willing to commit to something she felt she settled for. Pete was… Well Pete was Pete, a stand up guy. But he was no Jack O'Neill, and from what she'd seen, he wasn't a John Sheppard either.

Then again, she wasn't expecting anything to happen during their date. Maybe he'd make a move, or maybe he wouldn't. But barring some unforeseen circumstances, she was just looking forward to having some stress free fun.

Sam finally heard the knock on her door; she let out a deep breath and waved the door open, feeling prepared for anything.

John stood in front of her, wearing a pair of dark blue denims and a black t-shirt, over this he wore a shiny black dress shit with a spring leather jacket rounding it out. His hair was in its typical spiky formation, but he smelled a little nicer than usual. She couldn't help but think of all those high school specials where the guy went to pick his date up and had to contend with the angry overprotective dad. She resisted saying "Ehh…" and holding her thumbs out like the Fonz.

She smiled and nodded.

"Colonel."

"Colonel."

They both tittered a bit, it was a little awkward but John didn't let it ruin his frame.

"What say we drop ceremony for today? Start fresh?"

Sam nodded with a sly smile on her face.

"Good idea… Hi! I'm Samantha Carter!"

She made an exaggerated wave of her hand, trying to lighten the mood. John laughed as he picked up her beat, going into a sensual and exaggerated Casanova tone.

"And I'm John Sheppard, I'll be your escort and company for this evening my dear. Are we ready yet?"

Sam nodded and shut the lights off. Her voice was heavily laden with sarcasm.

"Lead me kind gentleman."

John couldn't take it anymore and choked on his laughter.

"Wow, Gentleman. I've been called _a lot_ of names in my time but rarely that."

Sam gave him a smile, she'd expected as much.

"I don't doubt it."

Sam turned to shut the door, and when she turned back, John had his arm out in a gentlemanly pose. She couldn't help but snicker.

"You can't be serious."

He got an irritated look on his face.

'Well you did call me a _Gentleman_, shouldn't disappoint my date 10 seconds out the door should I?"

Sam snickered; this might turn out to be fun after all. She hooked her arm in his and they started walking down the corridor. It felt strangely easy for her to walk with him arm in arm.

"So John, what made you decide to ask me of all people?"

She knew there were plenty of women on the base that would love to be in her position right now, but she'd never say that to his face. She still worried a bit that some awkward moments might present themselves so she was careful about what she said. John replied in his typical confident tone.

"Well… I _could_ tell you that it took me weeks to build up the courage, that I spent _countless_ hours in front of the mirror practicing the way I'd say it…"

She gave him a curiously amused look; as if wanting to ask him where his sanity had gone. His look back told her to let him finish.

"I _could_ say that I'd planned the entire thing, bringing you lunch, joking around… I _could_ say all that, but the _truth_ is… it was just a spur of the moment thing so I'm not going to tell you any of that."

She smirked and gave him a small shove, feeling thoroughly teased.

"Damn; got my hopes up."

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John was struggling not to laugh, he'd been perusing around the booths that the staff had put up and had frozen when he saw it.

Radek Zelenka was sitting on top of a plank that was suspended above a big pool of water. He looked miserable dressed up in swim trunks and no shirt on. John was torn between hilarity and disgust as the man was a lot hairier than he'd expected him to be. Radek, seeing him, shook his head and muttered.

"Yes yes… get it all out, that _kraavo_ Rodney is going to pay for this."

Sam, who had taken a moment to get a pair of drinks for the two of them, nearly dropped them when she saw one of her chief Scientists sitting precariously on the plank.

"What the…? My god! What are… _How_ did Rodney convince you to do this?"

Before Radek could answer, Rodney's voice came in from behind her.

"Because I've offered him a week's worth of uninterrupted lab time without my supervision!"

Rodney took a few steps closer to Radek and cupping his mouth with his hands, spoke loudly and clearly.

"Not… that… it'll… matter… much! Any… big… projects… automatically… go… to… me… anyway!"

Sam felt bad, Radek was a big help and very rarely did Rodney treat him properly, but she knew the man could take it and ever since being trapped with the Czech in a transporter, she felt almost dirty to get involved. And not dirty in the good kind of dirty.

"_Vyser si voko!"_

Rodney, ignoring Radek's cursing and wave of his fist, reached out and grabbed a baseball from the pile in a basket in front of the tub.

"Feel like taking a chance? Each of these balls have a number on them, and at the end of the night, the winning number gets to throw the ball for a chance to dunk him. Of course if they miss, I've got this."

He pulled out a remote from his shirt pocket, and grinned gleefully. John chuckled and reached out to take the baseball from McKay's hand, Sam made a sound in her throat showing her disapproval. John turned to her and gave her a pleading look.

"Oh come on! When am I going to get this chance ever again?"

Sam smiled deviously, and decided to throw John for a loop.

"Ladies first."

She reached out and plucked the ball from Rodney's hands, both John and Rodney looked at each other for a moment before chuckling. Rodney looked at them both for a moment, as if realising, before he spoke.

"You had me going there Sam… Uhh… So are you two here together or….?"

Sam felt a tinge of blood rush to her cheeks, Rodney loved to gossip and she had to be very careful about her words. While she was thinking, John decided to answer in her stead.

"Why yes Rodney, as the leaders of the expedition we need to work, and if it comes down to it even play together, which leads to my final point, what games did your guys set up?"

Sam wiped the proverbial sweat off her brow, She'd never truly believed Rodney when he came to her quarters to… well she didn't really know how to describe it other than awkward, but there were plenty of moments in the past few months that made her uncomfortable to be more sensual around him. John thankfully never gave her the same impression, and had been so thoughtful to have a basket of fruit native to Pegasus waiting for her upon her arrival. His quick thinking and distraction only served to further trust him.

Rodney, seemingly satisfied, nodded and pointed out a few places.

"Well, there's a ring toss that way, a plate smashing thing over there, a ring-the-bell-by-hitting-it-with-a-hammer over there, as well as a few other random games over that way, not sure what those are. _Botany_ set them up."

McKay added some distaste to the word Botany and shuddered, then perked up remembering.

"Oh yeah, there's also a shooting game down at the end of the pier, you know Marines, can't finish a holiday without shooting something."

John and Sam chuckled and thanked Rodney; a young engineer frantically came up to him and tugged on his arm, he reacted as if he were being attacked and jumped away.

"Jesus! Don't sneak up on me like that Parsons; I'm liable to take a swing at you!"

John stifled his laugh, Sam also held her giggle. A punch from Rodney wasn't intimidating. The young engineer frantically explained that there was a problem with the naquadah generator powering the booths and their equipment and he was the only one who wasn't immediately busy.

"I'm always busy Parsons, but I guess I'm the only one qualified to do this sort of thing… Go go… I'll be there in a minute."

Sam, feeling her obligation, spoke.

"I could give your guys a hand if they want, I did help design those generators."

McKay waved his arms in a negative response, having mastered the art of talking with his hands.

"No no no… enjoy yourself Sam, god knows you do enough for us."

He took a few steps away, but then spun around and pointed at Sheppard.

"Don't do anything you're going to regret _Captain Kirk_ or you'll have to deal…"

John gave Rodney a serious stare, the kind that made Rodney wonder if he should finish his sentence. John felt obliged to put it into words though.

"Rodney… I swear… if you finish that sentence, I'll rip your balls out through your ass, And that'll be a _sweet sweet _mercy, compared to what _she'll_ do to you."

Sam chuckled, though she was howling inside at the mental image of Sheppard's threat. She was glad to see McKay knocked down a peg, but saw her chance to nail Sheppard.

"Yes, he's such a _good boy_ isn't he?"

She mockingly gave John a big cutesy hug; with her addition of pinching one of his cheeks. She struggled to keep from giggling at the feel of his body stiffen at her touch. John managed to keep his composition though.

"Don't worry Rodney, I think I just started to realise how much danger I'm actually in."

McKay laughed, and was shaking his head as he walked away.

"Freaks."

Sam was proud that she'd managed to tease John back. He gave her a sidelong glance.

"That's probably the first time you've really _really_ surprised me."

She smiled slyly to him.

"Won't be the only time."

John chuckled and took the drink Sam handed to him.

"What'd you get me?"

"Iced tea, I don't think we should drink even if we're off-duty."

John nodded, though he looked a slight bit disappointed.

"Yeah, maybe next time."

Sam pinched him on the arm, eliciting a slight wince on his face.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Don't assume too much, it's only noon and the rest of the day is still to come."

John smiled and leaned over to put his arm around her shoulders.

"Ahh, well what do you say we get started then hmm?"

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Sam fingered the weapon and got accustomed to its weight. She wasn't used to firing shotguns but this wouldn't be the first time. Against the bug-form replicators shotguns were very effective.

She pumped the slide, and gently put her finger on the trigger. She turned to look at Lorne who was operating the skeet machine.

"Alright Major, I'm ready."

Lorne nodded, and spoke before he launched.

"Remember Colonel, these skeets are high velocity, let me fire one so you get used to it before you fire, ok?"

She nodded, and aimed.

"Pull!"

Sam hadn't told Lorne that she'd gone skeet shooting with her Father when she was young, and had gotten very good at it.

She wasn't surprised at the speed of the skeet, most marines were crack shots after all the training they were put through and needed a serious challenge. Even being Air Force, she'd always scored high on marksmanship.

It took her only a moment for her inner gunner to take over, she pressed the trigger and felt the recoil go through her shoulder, slightly painful, but nothing she wasn't used to.

Her training was rewarded with the sound of shattering clay, the pieces splashing down on the ocean.

Only 2 people in the crowd behind her were unsurprised and not cheering. She however was a bit surprised as who they were. Sheppard and Ronon.

"That's a good speed Major, just remember next time I'm on it to bump it up a bit."

Lorne had his eyebrows raised, honestly surprised.

"Yes… Ma-am."

She handed the shotgun back to Lorne and went back to where she'd been standing. John smiled and chuckled with Ronon in the crowd. To his side a younger captain grudgingly handed Sheppard a wad of bills. He walked away muttering to himself. Sam gave him a slightly incredulous look.

"You _bet_ on me?"

John nodded without hesitation, then hooked his thumb at the retreating Captain.

"He started it. His exact words were… 'No way she'll make that shot, Remington doesn't make Pencils'."

"Oh really? Well then, long as you spend some of that on me there shouldn't be a problem."

Ronon chuckled and patted John on the back.

"Good luck buddy."

He took a few steps forward and got in line for the shoot. 2 of the marines in front of him let him go in front. Another 2 stayed wanting to take their shots first anyway. Sam tugged on John's sleeve to get him to move with her.

"Come on, we see enough guns everyday anyway. You have to win me something before it gets dark."

John chuckled. They'd had some cotton candy that Chuck was busy serving while wandering around. They'd chatted some, and found out they had a lot more in common than just the military. She was a bit surprised to hear that his father was Patrick Sheppard, a well known utilities mogul, though even more surprised that John didn't want that kind of life, it was rare to find people who cared more about honor than money.

There was more to him as well, but he seemed reluctant to talk about it. It only added to her curiosity, what could he have that he didn't want to talk about? It gnawed at her and she'd decided to slowly unravel him if it took all night.

"Alright, what do you prefer, a teddy bear or a monkey?"

"Oh? You're so sure you'll win?"

John chuckled as they walked back to the booths.

"You doubting me? I won all those other games we played. That's some real good positive reinforcement there Boss."

Sam knew he was teasing, and if she hadn't known his boyish charm, she'd probably have tried to apologize and reassure him. But she knew he was trying to get her to back down, just part of the game. And he did win a few prizes already; he'd 'donated' his prizes from those games to others around, mostly Athosian children.

She was still trying to decide whether he was doing it out of the goodness of his heart or trying to impress her. Though either way, it was so sweet to see the children cheering him on and hugging him madly when he gave up his prizes. She knew exactly how to manipulate him now.

"Put your money where your mouth is then."

They were in between the booths and the skeet shooting area, well out of earshot of anyone else.

""Oh, what kind of odds you give me?"

Sam smiled, she'd had fun so far, and she figured tempting him would get a better response.

"Well… if you lose, I get all the money you won back there _and_ you bring me lunch whenever I'm working late."

"Oh? And if I win?"

Sam took a deep breath, knowing she'd regret making this bet, but willing to accept the consequences.

"Well… I'll take another day off the next time there's a holiday and we'll do whatever you want."

John raised his eyebrows and went into a suggestive tone.

"_Whatever_ I want?"

­­­­­

Sam knew he was joking, he didn't hesitate with the answer at all and she could see he didn't feel ashamed about his answer. But he'd succeeded in putting the mental image in her head though, and she took a moment to reply, feeling a little hot and bothered.

"Not that."

He chuckled, expecting that answer, but surprised that she'd hesitated.

"Figures. Alright, I'll take you golfing. You'll love it."

Sam hid her wince, Golfing wasn't her favourite thing to do but she'd be willing to go as long as they took a picnic. And if for whatever reason John didn't win her something, she'd have a personal waiter and whatever money he'd gotten from the earlier bet. Win-Win in her mind.

"Down boy, you still need to win me something. And it has to be big..."

He snickered and gave her an incredulous gawk. She nodded and giggled, summoning her inner O'Neill as she spread her arms out to show the size.

"Really big."

John pulled her closer as they walked down the pier. Every once in awhile someone gave them a curious glance, but John nodded back in a friendly and unashamed manner so most people didn't give it a second thought. Sam was a little surprised that no one was making a scene out of it, but she kept her mouth shut to keep it like that.

They approached one of the booths; adorning the walls and ceiling were a multitude of plush toys, all meant for the civilian population to get their minds off the typical life or death of Atlantean life. The toys that weren't won would be given to the base's inventory and used for trade when dealing with communities with children.

Sitting at the side of the booth, Kavanaugh sat looking incredibly bored and disdainful of the position he was in. Seeing both Sheppard and Sam walk up arm in arm, he let out a soft chuckle of derisive amusement.

"Well, If it isn't Ma and Pa kettle themselves. Care to take a shot? Win blondey a teddy bear and maybe get a promotion?"

John had just begun to raise his hand to give Kavanaugh the finger and cuss him out. But Sam held his hand down and spoke herself.

" 'Blondey' can make sure you go somewhere that you'll have plenty of time to yourself. So keep your mouth shut and you'll get yourself a cushy job, _outside of Pegasus._"

Kavanaugh smiled, getting off the base would be nice, and maybe he could go somewhere that the military wouldn't be in charge. Little did he know that Sam was actually thinking of the position the Midway Station needed filled to replace Bill Lee. John had to fight to keep from speaking though.

"Alright, Deal. So here's the game, 5 balls, depending how many plates you break, that's the size of the prize you win. Oh joy."

John picked up the baseball in front of him, and tossed it up and down.

"How much?"

"Ten bucks."

John pulled out his wallet and slapped down a ten.

"Gimme."

Kavanaugh handed John the basket and sat back, his voice sarcastic and loud.

"Fire away!"

John pumped his fists and stretched his shoulders. He took a few moments to stretch and make sure he wasn't going to pull anything, some people standing around turned to watch him, a lot already having had a few drinks. Some of the air force personnel started cheering him on.

"Go Sheppard!"

"Eye of the tiger!"

"There is no spoon!"

"Yeah!!!! Nail it Colonel!"

John looked around and gave them some waves of appreciation, he soaked up all the attention and fed off it. Sam beside him chuckled, but stood back for a moment. No sense getting tangled up in Sheppard's momentary popularity. He made a motion for them to keep it down as he was about to throw.

He coiled up and let loose, a half moment later the plate shattered as the ball passed through it.

The small crowd cheered, raising their fists in encouragement. Another 4 times and the crowd had grown large, everyone happy and cheering except for Kavanaugh who sat at the side, indifferent as always.

"Oh yay. The colonel wins the big prize! So what'll you have? The giant dumb looking teddy bear? The cracked out junkie bird? The cheesy pink heart pillow?"

John chuckled, and looked over at Sam, He motioned for the bird which was actually a Toucan, and he raised his eyebrows suggestively. Sam gave him a hard look and shook her head almost imperceptibly. She'd been called Toucan Sam before and despite maybe giggling a bit, she didn't want to spread the name any further.

John mentally resigned himself, and pointed to the giant teddy bear on the ceiling.

"Nice, very original there Colonel."

"Stuff it Kavanaugh, you aren't the only one who wants you off this base."

Kavanaugh gave him a disdainful look as he handed Sheppard the giant teddy bear, but kept quiet.

He handed the teddy bear to Sam who gave it a big squeeze. It was a surprisingly good quality one and she'd love to add it to her collection. She fought the urge to give John a hug and settled for a tilted head look at him and some kind words.

"Thanks Sheppard, I guess I'm going golfing soon."

John chuckled a bit and waited for the crowd to disperse before putting his arm around her. He checked his watch and saw it was already 4 pm.

"Let's go grab a bite before Rodney cleans out the table."

They moved off towards the concession stand and placed their orders. Soon they had sat down and were busy chatting again. Sam kicked it off with asking more about him.

"So John, since all I _really_ know about you is what your CSV says, describe yourself in one word."

John snickered as he chewed on the steak he'd ordered and tried to look pensive.

"Hmm… good question, can't say I've thought of it before. Let's see…"

He took a few moments to think, and took a sip of the iced tea he'd gotten.

"Well? Did I finally stump you?"

John stuck his tongue out at her, and downing the liquid in his mouth replied.

"Well if I wanted to be _difficult_ I'd answer something like _'Mysterious'_. But knowing you'd probably jam a fork in my eye if I did… let's just say, _Adaptive_."

Sam was surprised, her smile showed it.

"Wow, that's not bad. That's actually pretty good. I'm mildly surprised you got it so well."

John chuckled.

"And you? How would you describe _yourself_ in one word?"

Sam didn't hesitate. Her voice was quite dejected by the honesty of it.

"_*Sigh* _That's easy… Technobabble."

John choked on his steak, and struggled not to laugh out loud. Sam snickered as well. Once he cleared his throat and calmed down a bit Sam muttered in sarcastic self pity.

"Yeah yeah, I know, I know… I'm working on it."

John finally stopped laughing and sighed.

"At least you didn't just go the easy way and say 'blonde'. I'd have been disappointed."

Sam raised an eyebrow to him, he'd been getting more daring as the night passed and was dancing on the razor of his wit. She lowered her tone a bit, feeling just slightly offended.

"Far be it from me to disappoint John Sheppard."

John grunted in reply, he felt the need to clarify himself.

"Damn straight, you should be proud to know I'm impressed."

Sam felt a little better. But knew she had to make sure he wasn't misreading her.

"Well, don't get any ideas. You and I both know regs."

John put the glass down he'd been sipping at and gave her a dejected look.

"Oh now why'd you have to bring that up? We were having so much fun."

She sighed, even though she believed what she was saying, it sucked to have to say it.

"Come on John, we can't fool ourselves. This is a date and we're breaking half a dozen regs."

John gave her slightly offended look.

"Then why'd you say yes?"

Sam had been mulling that over. The answer was painfully obvious, but she couldn't admit it. She hoped she was as good a liar as some people thought her to be.

"Well… like you said, I thought we'd have fun, and we have."

John lost the scowl on his face, but still looked unconvinced.

"Then let's keep it that way."

He changed the subject quickly, asking her what she was going to do with her new teddy bear. The tension between them ceased and the fun resumed, though Sam was fighting the images in her head. John on the other side was doing the same, already missing the heat from walking together arm in arm.

"Lemme ask you John, other than Ferris Wheels, what do you miss the most from back home?"

John instantly replied, putting the cup to his mouth.

"Motorcycles, Hands down."

She raised her eyebrows, surprised that she didn't expect it.

"Really? Damn, I thought I was the only one who loved those things here."

John finished swallowing his drink, and tilted his head as he looked at her.

"You like bikes? Hmm… I guess that explains that adorable leather jacket you wear all the time."

She burst out laughing and tossed her plastic fork at him. He snickered as it bounced off him and finally settled on the floor.

"John! Stop it… someone might hear you!"

He chuckled and then pulled out his wallet. He took a picture out of himself standing in front of a motorcycle on the beach, he looked 15 years younger and he was dressed in heavy leather. The bike was a nice one, a Harley Sportster with custom work done on it, not too dissimilar to her own. The man in the picture also sported a frazzled stubble surrounding his sunny smile. Surprisingly, his hair was completely unchanged as it was still the complicated spiky mess he loved to wear. She gasped and giggled at the thought of John Sheppard as a chopper.

"Oh god… when was that?"

He shrugged, and put the picture back in his wallet.

"Right after graduation, grabbed my bike and ran away to LA for a week. Joined the Air Force right after. I still have that bike back on Earth."

She laughed and sighed, noticing he said "Earth" and not home.

"I miss my bike too… I used to work on it at the SGC on my downtime."

He shrugged and leaned in closer.

"Well… if we work together, we might be able to smuggle them here… these piers would make great tracks to burn some rubber."

She let the thought penetrate her skull, imagining them riding around Atlantis causing mayhem on their bikes. He smiled expectantly, wanting her to say yes but knowing she wouldn't. She looked him back in the eyes and saw he was imagining the same.

"It'd be so much fun wouldn't it?"

He nodded and smiled.

"I already thought of a gang name, Atlantis Stormriders, we'd terrorize the Galaxy!"

She cracked and finally laughed.

"The IOA would kill us, probably lock us up in Area 51 till we're senile."

John wiped the tear of joy from his eye, and sighed forlornly.

"Aww… so no bikes on Atlantis?"

She grabbed her own napkin and gentle dabbed her eyes, hoping the moisture hadn't ruined her mascara. She sighed equally sadly, missing her bike now.

"Not in the foreseeable future."

The conversation continued, pushing into the funnest moments they'd had off world. Sam told John about traveling to 1969, and meeting a young General Hammond, whereas John told her about the time a village in Pegasus was convinced he and Rodney were married until he walked up and punched him in the head. They ate slowly, more concerned with their conversation than food. But once they were almost finished eating, Sam posed another hard question.

"John, why did you ask me out? For real this time. I'm curious."

John took the final bite out of his steak and chewed, he took a few seconds longer than usual in order to properly think up an answer.

"Well, what kind of answer are you expecting?"

Before Sam could respond, John held his hand up.

"No wait, give me a sec"

She held her mouth shut for a moment while John grabbed a napkin from the dispenser and pulled his pen out. He scribbled something down furiously and folded it in half; he then put it in his shirt pocket with a flap sticking out.

"Alright, so why do you think I asked you? I just wrote down _my _answer so there's no question."

Sam snickered.

"Alright… well… I guess… I guess you want me to feel more at home here. I know you and some of the others feel like this is your home and recently I've been really busy with Earth related stuff. Plus I haven't relaxed in a good while and I'm sure everybody sees it."

John had a serious look on his face, his jaw moved side to side almost imperceptibly.

"Uhhh… "

Sam could tell that wasn't expecting that answer; she lunged out like a cobra, quicker than John could have thought she'd move. She snatched the napkin out of his shirt pocket and left him grasping at empty air.

"Oh come on, give it back! Don't read it!"

Sam turned her chair around, forcing John to try and reach around her to get the napkin. From across the table he stood no chance and he wasn't willing to get up and chase her, it would just attract too much attention.

She opened the napkin and read it out loud.

'_The reason I asked you out is I haven't seen you smile for real in almost 3 weeks."_

She gasped, and finished softer, amazed.

"_I can tell the difference between your real smile and your 'polite' smile and it sucks to see you faking it.'_

Try as she might, she still felt a tinge of giddy embarrassment, she covered her shy smile with her mouth, All her thoughts about Regs and the Rules flew out of her mind. With her cheeks red hot with embarrassment, she turned back to him and wasn't too surprised to see him looking sheepish.

"John… this is sooo sweet; I can't believe you noticed."

John shrugged, half embarrassed and rubbed the back of his neck. It was the first time she'd gotten the reaction from him the entire night.

"Yeah well… I was kinda expecting you to say something like "Cuz it would make Rodney jealous' or something like that... Guess this is the second time you really surprised me."

She smiled, and folding the napkin she put it in her pocket. With an evil smile she giggled and looked at him. John groaned.

"Oh come on Sam, don't keep it, please! Any of my guys find out I wrote that and I'll never live it down."

She snickered; it was amusing to see John worried about his reputation.

"Oh don't worry, I'll just keep it somewhere nobody will see it."

John shook his head, chuckling in disbelief. He grabbed his hair and tugged on it.

"Probably come and bite me in the ass later."

She nodded gingerly, laughing out loud at his reaction. She noticed that other couples…

'_Nah, we're not a couple, just some friends out… but he's soooo sweet.'_

... were busy chatting and laughing. Chuck off to the side produced a bag and pulled out his laptop which he connected into a speaker system and a Mic, he began to emcee over the background music that was already playing.

"Alright folks, grab your partners and get ready, the Valentine's day dance is about to begin and you _don't_ wanna get left out."

He spoke sensually, making it sound very romantic. John, with renewed vigour, held his hand out to her.

"Shall we have the first dance?"

She smiled back, a real smile.

"Sure."

----------------------------------------------

A few hours had passed; both Sam and John had split up during the dance to have a dance with other people. But now rejoined for the coffee and snacks the cooking staff had put out. They'd talked at length about each other since they arrived and now wanted to mingle with the others. She was amazed at how similar they really were, with only a few key differences.

The dancing had been hot, Sam did her best to get John to back down by intimidation but he stood his ground. All she could get out of his was a sly smile that she had to admit turned her on. She fought the urges she felt and kept teasing him. Though she began to suspect he was just enjoying it.

Nearby, Jennifer was chatting with some of the Botanist scientists, one whom seemed to hover around her intently.

"Hey Jennifer, how's the party treating ya?"

She turned and smiled at John, in her eyes John could see the edge of surprise that John had his arm around Sam's waist as they talked, but she kept it hidden in her face and tone.

"Not too bad Colonels, but I don't look forward to tomorrow; I'll have my hands full with hangovers…"

She motioned over to the bar where Ronon was busy drinking his second Air Force Captain under the table. His huge size and Pegasus metabolism meant he could easily out drink any member of the expedition times three, yet one cocky Air Force Captain had challenged him to shot per shot. Sam had to comment.

"Maybe now he'll say more than just a few words at a time."

John looked over as well, and seeing Ronon started to chuckle.

"What? Chewy? Nah, If anything he'll get quieter. And a hell of a lot meaner."

Jennifer winced and bit her finger as she saw the Air Force Captain slump out of his seat and have 2 of his buddies haul him away to sleep it off. Ronon let out a small roar of victory and began to celebrate with the other Marines around by drinking even more. Jen let go and sighed.

"I don't think I wanna know. Sam, can I have tomorrow off? Please? Pretty please?"

Sam snickered and gave her a pitying smile.

"Sorry Jennifer, Unless you get sick…"

Jennifer clicked her tongue, considering it.

"Would you believe pseudofolliculitis?"

John chuckled.

"You aren't getting out of work for that. No matter how bad it is."

Sam turned to look at him.

"You know what that is?"

John shrugged.

"My wingman had it all the time in Kabul. Complained a lot"

The botanist who was obviously interested in Keller immediately joined in, seemingly oblivious of the social awkwardness, or what the illness she had mentioned was.

"Yeah, its not as bad as everyone think it is."

Both Sam and John winced, poor guy didn't even realise that psuedofolliculitis was just an in-grown hair.

Jen smiled politely, and with her head turned away from the Botanist mouthed the words _"Help me… for god's sake HELP ME!"_.

John, feeling for her, noticed Rodney nearby walking around.

"Hey Rodney! Come here a minute!"

Rodney, somewhat confused, walked over.

"Yes yes yes… what do you need? I need to prep for the dunking tank."

Sam quickly took advantage and piped in seamlessly. Grabbing Jen with one arm, and Rodney with the other, she pushed them together.

"Oh perfect! You know I don't think Jen has seen it up close yet. Do you mind showing her?"

Rodney, again confused, was about to start cursing and saying that he was too busy to act like a tour guide to a voodoo priestess. But seeing the look John gave him, and the fact that it was Jennifer who he'd be going with, he tried to sound as smooth as possible.

"Uhh yeah... ok… that sounds… like fun."

Jennifer, ecstatic that Sam and John had gotten her out of it so fast grabbed Rodney's arm and hooked her own into it. His look of confusion only increased.

"Wha…?"

"Show me the dunk tank Rodney…_now"_

He still didn't catch on, but he decided he'd roll with it and walked away with her. The botanist tried to hide his shame, but failed miserably.

Sam and John turned around as well and began to meander slowly towards the tank, preparing for the coming dunk. Sam put her head on his shoulder, now a bit more comfortable being around him.

"That was quick thinking John; she was really in a pinch."

"Well, you did your part too. I was going to say something about inviting her for a drink but that worked out great with the dunk tank."

Sam reached into her pocket.

"Let's hope we win."

She pulled out the baseball she had taken early and read the number.

"I'm number 34, you?"

John pulled out his own baseball.

"117. Well we'll see. I don't know if I could knock Dr Z into there though. He looks so… squirrely… Plus it looks cold."

Sam nodded and snickered.

"I getcha, but if I win I'm knocking him flat on his ass."

John chuckled; Rodney had told him that she wasn't all that impressed with Radek's self-control and social skills while trapped in the transporter. He had been so happy to know Sam preferred his company to Radek's that he'd almost gone and asked her out. After some convincing and analyzing just how stupid he would have to be to do such a thing, Rodney was back to his usual self. He figured he and Sam had gotten casual enough and trusted each other; so he decided to ask.

"You know Sam… Rodney told me something interesting yesterday."

She sighed, his tone made her feel threatened.

"I'm not gonna like this am I?"

John snickered, and thought maybe he'd overstepped his bounds.

"Actually… nah it's ok."

"Oh come on, you can't say Rodney told you something interesting and then not tell me."

They sat down at a table, and John stalled for time by grabbing some popcorn off a bowl that happened to be there. Sam waited patiently with her polite "I'm waiting" smile. Finally John swallowed, and cleared his throat.

"Well… he said that when you were trapped in the mining facility with him and Keller, you mentioned something about it being better than being trapped alone with Dr Z in the transporter a few months ago."

Sam nearly spit out her drink, it took her a few moments to recover and convince herself to not run over and jam a lemon into one of Rodney's orifices.

"Oh god… uhh well… I'm swearing you to secrecy here… and I'm being serious ok?"

John nodded, trying to hide the smile on his face.

"Of course, command level clearance needed."

Despite the humor, she leaned in closer and whispered.

"I'm _serious_ John! You squeal about this and I'll have you _castrated_."

He cracked and let a single laugh out, but then seeing her deathly serious stare he calmed down.

"Okay okay… play nice. I'll keep your secret."

She sighed, and considered grabbing some popcorn herself to delay it. But biting the bullet she just muttered it under her breath.

"Radek was… _creepy_. Like seriously. I swear he kept staring at my boobs and…" She shuddered, recalling how strange it had been. " Like… did you know he raises pigeons?"

John nodded, he's seen the screensaver.

"Yeah, he talks about them a lot. Wish I had one back then, might not have had to climb the tower…"

She bit her tongue, and started shaking as she tried to control her shock. She managed to reply even as she quaked with internal laughter.

"Oh my god… I told him the _same thing_! He didn't get it! He thought I wanted to _eat_ the damn thing! _Eewwww_!!"

She shuddered as she thought about it, and ended up having to bite a napkin to control the comedy threatening to destroy her composure.

John tittered himself, and once he got control he got up, and dragged her up as well, he held her closer and patted her on the shoulder. Then decided he'd go for the gold.

"At least he didn't walk into _your_ office and say he liked your hair."

Sam cracked and stuffed her face into his shoulder, muffling her laughter to only a few decibels above regular speech. She didn't care if anybody saw her hugging him, it would be much easier to explain than laughing her ass off.

It took almost 3 minutes, but finally she calmed down, her eyes soaked with tears. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"So Keller actually told you that?"

John got a sincerely confused look on his face.

"What? No! He did that to _me!_"

Sam cracked again, this time completely, and another few minutes and having to sit down on a bench ensued. John closed his eyes and knew he'd be getting asked about this for the next few weeks, but he had to admit, having such a beautiful woman use him for a muffling device was great for his stress.

He wrapped his arms around her and stroked his hand across her back, from her neck to the bottom of her ribcage. She made a contented noise as she laughed, enjoying his comfort.

Once they recovered, they walked around a bit more, chatting with everybody around, but soon enough; Rodney's voice cut through the din of the music and got their attention.

"Excuse me, yes hello? _Turn that down would you? I sound like a smurf_. Alright people, the moment we've _all _been waiting for, One of you is going to get the chance to do what I've been praying to do for almost 5 years."

On the plank, Radek cursed in Czech, calling Rodney some unknown and probably terrible name.

"Alright, we're going to pull out the number in a moment, so everyone get your balls out."

The words had already come out, and he shuddered as he realised it. Everybody started laughing, and several Marines waggled their hips in his directions, a few going so far as to highlight their areas with their hands.

John muttered under his breath, but Sam could hear it.

_"Goddamn morons."_

She agreed with his assessment, she knew it wasn't fair of her to think so, but most of the combat oriented Marines who had joined the expedition had joined not out of the explorer within, but the chance to get their hands on serious technology and combat outside of the deserts of the Middle East. She had originally disliked the term "jarheads' but it applied quite well in this case.

"Oh grow up would you? This isn't some seedy club in Toronto; put those away, no one wants to see them. Anyways, the winning number is…"

He reached into a bucket full of tickets, and swishing around in them suddenly yelped in pain.

"_Yow!"_

He pulled his hand out and yanked the snapped mousetrap that had been carefully hidden inside the bucket off it. He shook his hand and danced around as all the tickets rained down around him, trying to get past the pain.

The crowd laughed hard, though John noticed off to the side some of the newest members of the expedition high five Captain Alicia Vega, who laughed heartily. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

Jennifer was on stage as well, now checking Rodney's finger. She got on the Mic with an annoyed voice.

"Hey, whoever did that is in serious trouble, these things can break your finger if it hits the right spot!"

She did a quick check, and seeing that Rodney's finger wasn't broken got back on the mic.

"If anyone in my staff is responsible, you'll be cleaning out bedpans for the next month! I'm sure Colonels Carter and Sheppard agree with me!"

A bunch of the group looked over to Sam and John, who now separated and stood almost at attention. John looked to Sam and waited for her to nod. He then yelled very loudly.

"2 Months of the worst duty I can think of if it's a marine, 1 month if you give yourself up now."

He wasn't expecting Vega to give herself up, no marine would _ever_ surrender and this counted. It was more for show than anything and he actually got a really good internal laugh out of Rodney's face.

Rodney, now back to normal, grabbed the mic and squeezed Jen's shoulder in thanks. His incensed look was even worse than his usual angry face.

"That goes _TRIPLE _if you're under my staff, I'll have you cleaning out plasma conduits that aren't even dirty!"

The crowd kept laughing, no one admitted to anything and it was clear nothing was really going to happen.

Rodney picked up one of the tickets off the floor and looked at it.

"Alright, the lucky winner tonight is… number 74!"

People around the crowd groaned, a few muttered and chuckled, wondering who was going to get it.

A few moments passed, no one claimed it.

"UH hello? Number 74? Chance of a lifetime? Make me proud?"

Radek muttered as he sat, hoping no one would do it.

A few more moments passed, and finally a marine near the bar started yelling.

"Ronon's got it!"

Everybody started cheering and hooting, wanting Ronon to take the shot.

Ronon was tipsy, in fact he had probably gone way beyond that and would have a hell of a headache the next day. He looked around all confused and looked at the ball in his hand.

"Huh? Really? Alright, _Heads up Zelenka!"_

John barely held back his laughter, as the entire crowd in between Ronon and the dunk tank, a good 50 feet apart suddenly ducked and took cover, expecting the baseball to nail them in the head. Sam winced and brought the teddy bear up as a shield. John, having confidence in even a drunken Ronon, stood tall and proud as he watched the streak of white sail over the crowd.

He watched with pitched glee as the Radek himself covered his face and groin with his hands, fearful for his safety. But it was all pointless. John mentally cheered when the ball hit the big bulls eye target and sent Radek into the drink. The loud ping and subsequent scream of shock from the Czech as he found himself immerged in cold water brought everybody up with more cheers and hooting for Ronon.

Sam got up and burst out laughing, seeing the poor hairy Czech thrashing about in the pool cursing in 2 different languages was terribly funny and she felt so bad for not being able to control herself. Exactly what she didn't want to do earlier was happening now and John, feeling slightly responsible, put his arm around her when she started to sway from the laughter and held her steady.

Off near the bar, several marines grunted in unison and started cheering Ronon on, they picked him up and started carrying him around like some kind of royalty. He had managed to grab a big bottle of tequila in the process and raised it in victory, splashing some around. He let out a war cry of victory and took a big swig out of the bottle.

John finally stopped laughing enough to speak. He was near tears he had been laughing so hard.

"Oh he's gonna be fun tomorrow, those marines are gonna kill him they love him so much."

Sam was tearing up as well; she had her head on his front collar bone as she struggled to regain composure.

"Oh god, I don't think I've ever laughed so hard."

John helped her sit down at a nearby table, Rodney up on stage was ordering people to give Radek a hand getting out of the tub, staying cleanly away from the splashing.

John, never to let an opportunity slip by, spoke almost sarcastically.

"I think I got some of that Radek water on my forehead, got something I can wipe it off with?"

Sam absentmindedly reached into her pocket and grabbed the napkin he'd written on, but before he could get his hands on it she realised and stuffed it back in, laughing even more.

"Oh nice try John, You almost had me there!"

He growled, annoyed but still laughing.

------------------------------------------------

It was late now, almost 10:30pm. They were having a pair of hot chocolates while sitting on the edge of the pier, watching the stars and moon rise in the clear sky.

They'd stuck around longer then they should have, having a lot of fun joking around with some of the people there and even cracking and having a few drinks themselves. They'd danced a bit more when Chuck got back on the mic and played some tunes, mostly slow romantic ones. They'd danced with only each other, enjoying the intimate nature of their joined movements. Now they were tired and utterly exhausted. Now alone, Sam felt so much more comfortable with him, it scared her a bit.

"John?"

He mused, obviously comfortable with her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

John raised an eyebrow.

"Uhh thanks."

She snickered; he was being so maddeningly frustrating.

"You aren't going to ask why?"

John shrugged.

"It's obvious you're going to tell me anyway. I just know I'm going to thank you anyway so..."

She sighed contentedly.

"You're right. I'm sorry I pushed the regs on you earlier… I know you know them."

He gave her a sidelong glance, and squeezed her a little harder.

"I never did like rules too much."

"Well I'm gonna thank you too… I don't think I would have had this much fun if you hadn't insisted on bringing me."

She laughed softly, and wrapped her other arm around him. He reciprocated and squeezed her tightly.

"Yeah, well like I said, it sucks to see you all stressed out. And as your right hand man it's my responsibility to make sure you don't burn out."

She nodded absentmindedly and moved her head to sit on his collar, he made such a good pillow.

"John… do you like me?"

He leaned over and kissed her temple. She murmured happily.

"I didn't think you'd do it."

John chuckled, and squeezed her harder.

"What'd I say about doubting me?"

She giggled, and squeezed him back.

"Last time, I swear."

After a bit of giggling, and stroking each other's backs. John sighed deeply.

"Sam… before anything, we need to be clear."

She gave him an irritated look. His unintended imitation of her had gone right over his head.

"Yes…?"

John looked at her intently.

"Well… it's like you said, the Regs _are_ there."

She decided to imitate him back.

"Well, I was never one for rules either."

They didn't say anything, and looked at each other intently. Sam leaned closer, but didn't initiate anything.

John felt like he was going crazy, here he was about to start making out with his superior officer like a drunken teenager in a car on makeout point. He felt the training tug at him one way, and her soft hands tugging the other way.

"This… _is_ wrong you know. If anyone finds out…"

"You don't need to tell _me_ that, I outrank you."

Their breathing increased, their bodies pressed together, both feeling the heat slowly rise.

Finally John decided to act, he looked around, and made sure that no one was around to see them.

"Not here."

She smiled, and held onto him as he got up and left the pier, avoiding contact with anyone else.

Neither said anything as they walked through the halls, John with his arm around Sam's waist, and Sam hugging both him and her new giant teddy bear.

Finally, they reached her Quarters, and John let her go, though with a slight hesitation.

Sam opened the door and leaned against the jamb, her head resting on her shoulder and the door.

"Last chance Sheppard. Clear, press, or negative?"

John chuckled, and put his hands in his pockets.

"Well to be honest, this is the first Valentine's day that's gone well for me in a long time. I'm still trying to decide whether it's real or not."

Sam, deciding to act on her feelings and what her heart told her instead of her head, reached out and pulled him in. She felt free, finally acting after more than a decade of holding back, not taking what she wanted. Even though it wasn't Jack, John was no downgrade.

She stuck her hand out and dragged him in by his collar, very satisfied by the look of surprise on his face.

"It's about to get _very _real."


End file.
